Egypt has decided to deploy additional military personnel to Saudi Arabia to help strengthen the kingdom’s defences against continued attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has confirmed.
Parliament Approves Military Deployment
In an interview with French broadcaster France 24, published on Wednesday, Abdelatty said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had submitted a proposal to parliament two weeks earlier to provide military personnel and defensive assistance to Saudi Arabia.
According to the foreign minister, Egyptian lawmakers reviewed the proposal and subsequently approved the deployment.
He added that several Egyptian military officers were already stationed in Saudi Arabia to support the kingdom’s armed forces. The additional deployment is expected to further strengthen Saudi Arabia’s ability to counter Houthi threats.
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“At the request of our brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia, our military presence is there, and we are taking steps to reinforce it,” Abdelatty said in the interview.
Holy Sites Among Key Security Priorities
Abdelatty also said the deployment would help protect strategically important locations in Saudi Arabia, including Makkah and Madinah, the two holiest cities in Islam.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused the Houthi rebels of attempting to target the regions surrounding the two holy cities. However, the Houthi movement has denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, several Egyptian lawmakers told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that they had not been provided with detailed information about the size or scope of the planned deployment.
Houthis Warn of Possible Escalation
The decision has drawn criticism from the Houthi movement. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the group’s Supreme Political Council, reportedly described Egypt’s decision to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia as a “declaration of war”.
However, Abdelatty dismissed the suggestion that Egypt’s move was intended to escalate the conflict.
Speaking to France 24 on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, he stressed that Egypt’s military deployment was strictly defensive in nature.
He said Cairo’s objective was to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s self-defence capabilities rather than participate in any offensive military operation.
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